SAN ANTONIO — A former VIA bus driver was sentenced to five years in prison Monday for offering a man $5,000 to set fire to a friend's home in a plot to collect insurance money.

Juan Ortega Davila, 30, pleaded no contest in February to the second-degree felony as part of a deal that set his punishment at either five years in prison or probation, with state District Judge Philip Kazen making the final decision.

According to court records, Davila recruited a man he met on his bus route to aid in the plot. In November 2011 the man, Jose Angel Escobedo, was arrested by police on charges of stealing a motorcycle and told them he had information about a planned arson. Escobedo told police Davila threatened to blackmail him with sexually explicit photos unless he cooperated in the plan to set fire to a friend's home.

He agreed to wear a wire and meet with Davila to finalize the plans, according to court records.

At one point in the conversation, Davila also offered Escobedo $5,000 — a cut of the expected insurance payout — for his help in setting fire to the home on a Sunday morning while the family was at church. He suggested using charcoal lighter fluid and offered to purchase the materials, according to court files.